Bring Your Own Device

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is a trend among employees and subcontractors who resist using employer-supplied mobile hardware in favor of using their own personal smartphone, tablet, or laptop for work. BYOD is nothing new, but the potential effects on businesses are changing fast. Ten years ago, the occasional BYOD request came from an “early adopter” asking to use a personal laptop for work, possibly before the company itself had been computerized. Today, practically every company is using technology, but then so is practically every employee, tradesman, and homeowner. And this year’s smartphones are next year’s “wearable computers” with the...